Do One Better with Alberto Lidji in Philanthropy, Sustainability and Social Entrepreneurship

The Founder and Director of the Good Law Project, Jo Maugham KC, on leveraging the law to craft the world you’d like to see. The law is a powerful means to effect positive social change but not everyone has access to it and the law isn’t always used for good. In this episode we explore social impact through the lens of public interest litigation, and we cover a wide range of examples and thought-p...

Danny Sriskandarajah, CEO of the New Economics Foundation, on his new book "Power to the People", Universal Basic Income and creating a better future. Overview In this intellectually stimulating episode, host Alberto Lidji interviews Danny Sriskandarajah, the Chief Executive of the New Economics Foundation (NEF). The discussion delves into various topics surrounding new economic thinking, includin...

Sarah Bouchie, CEO of Helen Keller Intl on Combating Global Blindness, Malnutrition, and the Impact of Climate Change. Helen Keller International's Mission: Helen Keller Intl, a 109-year-old organization, focuses on combating blindness, poor health, and malnutrition. The organization scales innovative solutions to ensure everyone can live a healthy life and achieve their full potential.  Global Op...

The CEO of the Impact Investing Institute, Kieron Boyle, discusses the nuances of impact investing, its various definitions, and the role it plays in creating a fairer, greener, and more resilient future. Kieron explains the mission of the Impact Investing Institute, a nonprofit established by the UK government to accelerate impact investing both in the UK and globally. The conversation highlights...

Jon Rosser, Chair of the Single Homeless Project, on the systemic undercounting of women experiencing homelessness. Overview: In this eye-opening episode of the Do One Better Podcast, Alberto Lidji sits down with Jon Rosser, Chair of the Single Homeless Project, to delve into the pressing issue of homelessness in the UK, with a particular focus on the systemic undercounting of women experiencing h...

In this enlightening episode, we are joined by Tony Hulton, Chief Executive Officer of Walking with the Wounded. Tony shares the critical work his organisation is doing to support ex-service personnel in the UK. The discussion spans across various support services provided by the charity, including mental health, social work, employment support, and tackling digital exclusion. This episode offers...

In this episode of the Do One Better Podcast, Alberto Lidji engages in a compelling conversation with Geoff Ibbotson, the Executive Director of the Global Surgery Foundation. Geoff shares his journey and the critical work his organization is doing to improve surgical care systems worldwide, particularly in low-resource settings. This episode sheds light on the importance of comprehensive surgical...

Cameron McCollum, Director of the Sudreau Global Justice Institute at Pepperdine Caruso School of Law, on justice system reform in Africa.  In this episode we delve into improving access to justice and building capacity within justice systems in Africa. We discuss the problem of case backlog and how ADR (alternative dispute resolution) can help improve justice outcomes. We also discuss the Africa...

The CEO of the British Exploring Society, Honor Wilson-Fletcher, on inequality of access to the great outdoors and transforming lives.  Significant parts of the population do not feel welcomed, and don’t have access nor experience of what it’s like to be in the outdoors. The British Exploring Society is a youth development charity that’s been around almost 100 years, founded on the belief that cha...

John Craven, former Director of the UK’s Social Mobility Commission and current Executive Officer of System 2 – a registered charity in Australia – explores social mobility from numerous angles, including education, employability, social networks and intergenerational dynamics. Among the various insights discussed, we explore how the school readiness gaps successfully tackled during children’s ear...

The CEO of the Children’s Society, Mark Russell, talks about the new children’s support hub they’re launching in London, UK in July 2024, their 140-year history, ambitions for the future and creating an evidence base to roll out a nation-wide network of support hubs. We celebrate the £1M grant from BBC Children in Need just announced on 15th May to support the Children’s Society’s work tackling me...

The Secretary General of the World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM), Ahmad Alhendawi, joins Alberto Lidji as the 100-day countdown starts to Word Scouting’s general assembly in August 2024; bringing together members from 174 countries as they launch their new global strategy for the next 10 years; unveiling a refreshed brand, and leveraging their collective strength to tackle the UN Susta...

The CEO of the Africa Venture Philanthropy Alliance (AVPA), Frank Aswani, joins Alberto Lidji to discuss creating an impact ecosystem in Africa and to explore the continuum of impact capital, from traditional philanthropy to private sector capital. A key challenge AVPA is focused on: How to solve Africa’s long-term sustainable growth financing challenge. We explore the evolving role of philanthrop...

The President of the Truist Foundation, Lynette Bell, joins Alberto Lidji to discuss strengthening small businesses, developing career pathways for economic mobility, and why philanthropy is fueling the marketplace of ideas. Find out how the Truist Foundation is co-creating programs, building the body of evidence, and how they are convening national non-profits in the US and also bringing the publ...

Daniela Ligiero, CEO and President of Together for Girls and Co-Founder of the Brave Movement, joins us to talk about working to end sexual violence against children and adolescents. Daniela is a survivor of child sexual abuse and has been sharing her story publicly for around 15 years. The silence around this topic is something that needs to be tackled. Coming forward and speaking up is not easy...

We look at the world of corporate philanthropy and are delighted to host Graham Macmillan, President of Visa Foundation, and Melissa Stevens, Executive Vice President of Philanthropy at the Milken Institute. Graham Macmillan develops and executes Visa Foundation’s impact investing and grantmaking strategy in support of its mission to help inclusive and diverse-owned micro and small businesses arou...

Kate Grant, Chief Executive of the Fistula Foundation, on receiving $15M from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott and treating women with devastating childbirth injuries. Obstetric fistula is a devastating childbirth injury. It leaves a woman incontinent, humiliated, and—all too often—shunned by her community. Surgery is the only cure. The Fistula Foundation is the global leader in fistula treatment, p...

The CEO of Plan International UK, Rose Caldwell, joins us back on the Do One Better Podcast to talk about their work on children’s rights, girls’ education, and their approach to localisation. We explore why and how Plan International works with local actors, in humanitarian contexts, including youth-led organisations and those focused on girls’ and young women’s rights. Plan International works w...

Ebrima Saidy, Chief Impact Officer of Save the Children International, discusses the importance and diversity of the increasingly-prominent role of the Chief Impact Officer. At a time when many more organisations are appointing Chief Impact Officers, we consider what the role actually does, what it entails, where Chief Impact Officers come from, and what qualifications and experience they bring wi...

Iqbal Dhaliwal, Global Executive Director of MIT’s Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL), and Vikrant Bhargava, Founder of Veddis Foundation, join Alberto Lidji to discuss the power of evidence, the ASPIRE partnership and the innovative Emissions Trading Scheme. We also explore how philanthropists should decide what to fund, where and how to fund; why evidence is so important in driving fo...

Philippa Charles, Director of the Garfield Weston Foundation, provides an insider’s view into one of the UK’s most impactful philanthropic organisations. Philippa shares the foundation’s approach to granting nearly £100 million annually, emphasising their blend of empathy, flexibility, and strategic funding that characterises their work. The Garfield Weston Foundation, established in 1958 by Willa...

Don Howard, CEO of the James Irvine Foundation, sheds light on the foundation's unwavering commitment to fostering economic mobility among low-income workers in California. With a rich history dating back to 1937, the foundation has been a pivotal force, directing over $2.6 billion in grants to various organizations across California. In 2023 alone, $180 million was allocated to support initiative...

Andy Jarvis, the Director of Future of Food at the Bezos Earth Fund, delves into the critical role food systems play in both exacerbating and potentially alleviating the twin crises of climate change and biodiversity loss. The Bezos Earth Fund, established with a $10 billion commitment from Jeff Bezos, aims to address these global challenges by 2030, with a strong emphasis on equity and environmen...

In a captivating conversation with Saleh Saeed OBE, the Chief Executive of the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC), listeners are treated to an in-depth exploration of the DEC's vital role in responding to global disasters and humanitarian crises. With a history spanning 60 years, the DEC stands as a testament to the collective power of the UK's leading charities, coordinating efforts to deliver r...

Sir Peter Wanless, CEO of the NSPCC (National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children), delves into their impactful work and recent legislative success driving forward the Online Safety Act. The conversation begins with an overview of the NSPCC's mission to prevent child cruelty and protect children's rights across the UK. The episode highlights the organisation's recent legislative vict...